The Senate, a name both familiar and strange to many Romans. This institution and its title, which had lost most of its functions around 1204 and was completely abolished in the mid-14th century, would undoubtedly become big news along the Black Sea coast and even the Eastern Mediterranean if it were to be rebuilt in Bosporus.
However, in Manuel's eyes, this was nothing, as he did not believe that the Senate he intended to establish was the same entity as the historical Senate.
The Senate Manuel wanted to establish was essentially a tool for him to reconcile conflicts between various social strata and local ethnic groups, enhance the Autocratic State's cohesion and stability, and concentrate his own power. For Caesar, the so-called Senators only needed to be parasites who would always vote in favor; he would find any other abilities superfluous. In other words, Caesar did not need any ancient institutions or departments to restrict his monarchical power; the parliamentary Senators just needed to obediently follow his instructions.
When he happened to share this idea with his wife, who was recuperating by the bedside one evening, the young woman, deeply influenced by Roman tradition in Constantinople, was astonished. She asked, "Isn't that a bit too… No matter what, doing such things under the name of the Senate is a bit too, well, autocratic?"
"But I am an autocratic monarch. If I didn't call myself Caesar, my current title should be 'Despot', right? And I think," Manuel stroked his chin, smiling as he told her,
"My will is the only correct law."
"What about a restoration of the monarchy?"
"Surely not? Does anyone really like vassals rebelling?"
"That's not what I meant, by the Holy Mother! I meant… Oh, never mind, it's nothing, I have no objections." Finally, Barbara rolled her eyes slightly, indicating that while she found it a bit hard to bear, she would not object.
Thus, the plan for the Bosporus Senate remained temporarily buried in Manuel's heart until it was completely finalized, after which it would be brought to the forefront, once again shaking the politics of Bosporus.
But that time was not far off.
Besides the Senate concept, which he had not yet officially presented to his subordinates, Manuel also made other efforts during this period to strengthen his control over the regions on both sides of the Black Sea. For example, militarily, he once again expanded the Philaka Legion, composed of elite slave soldiers, to a size of about 1,500 men. It was deployed as a guard legion stationed in both Pontus and Tauris, and was completely divided into 1/3 armored heavy cavalry, 1/3 light cavalry, and 1/3 spear infantry. Of course, this did not mean that the other military skills of the Philaka Soldiers would not be honed. To cope with diverse battlefields, Manuel not only decreed that only loyal slave soldiers proficient in all weapons could join this legion but also frequently led them personally in various military trainings, displaying an approachable yet firm stance to consolidate morale.
His intention behind this limited expansion of the Philaka Legion was, naturally, to firmly grasp this elite force directly under his command, making it convenient to decisively strike at various overt and covert disobedient forces within his territory. It is well known that no matter how perfect a system is, or how good the superficial appearance, everything is moot without strong armed forces as a backing. When non-violent means fail to solve problems and Caesar does not want to expend too much effort sending a large army, it will be the turn of the elite armored heavy cavalry, who obey only him, to be deployed.
As for other military expenditures, they were temporarily put on hold due to current income limitations. However, to assemble a force that could barely contend with the main Ottoman army, Manuel, together with his commanders and generals, also prepared corresponding expansion plans, awaiting sufficient surplus income after the trade route expansion package could be implemented.
Furthermore, regarding the administrative sphere, Manuel and his cabinet were also planning to merge the existing bureaucratic institutions of Pontus and Tauris to facilitate their integration into various administrative departments in the future, thereby improving administrative efficiency.
However, these were ultimately matters of the upper echelons. The middle and lower classes, apart from the Muslims who had recently been rectified, were currently basking in the gentle late spring sunshine, enjoying the rare peaceful time in Bosporus. Meanwhile, in other parts of Asia Minor, the chaotic fighting between the Ottoman and Karaman, and the Mamluk behind them, continued.
As of mid-May, the front lines of both sides had not changed much. Although Karaman had lost several positions, it still firmly held onto most of Hamid's territories; and although the Ottoman were mostly victorious on the battlefield, they simply could not dislodge Karaman and other forces that refused to let go of Hamid.
This made Murad II increasingly furious. If it weren't for the Christian states on the western bank of the Dardanelles Strait, who were always watching with interest and covetously, he would have long since brought most of the Rumelia Legion over to finish the fight quickly.
However, in contrast, the Mamluk, who stood on Karaman's side at this time, also did not exert their full strength. This time, Cairo, in support of Karaman, only called upon troops from the Levant region and a small number of Mamluk Heavy Cavalry, to avoid a deadly struggle with the great Ottoman Empire, which could lead to third-party forces like the White Sheep and Black Sheep taking advantage.
But things were not looking good for Karaman. Bey Suleiman, who ascended to power relying on the Levant and southeastern Anatolia, keenly realized that if he could not carve out a piece of land from the Ottoman, his fate would likely not be much better than that of his uncle and father.
So, Suleiman needed a victory, a victory that could make the Ottoman concede and earn the Mamluk's favor.
But with Karaman's strength alone, it would be difficult to achieve. He also lacked confidence in his own military capabilities and knew that the Mamluk troops would not follow his arrangements unless convinced by facts.
Therefore, he had to weaken the Ottoman's combat power before he could use his own army to try and strike the enemy. Finally, Suleiman thought of an ally whose presence had been subtly diminished in recent months—
"Take this letter to Caesar Manuel of Bosporus before June," Suleiman ordered his loyal servant Rutaoglu one night.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
However, the next month, what arrived in Pontus was not the request from Karaman, but someone returning from Morea.
June arrived, and Serenus, now married, finally returned to Pontus with his wife at the beginning of the month. After reading about the political and legal changes during this period and learning about the turmoil in Bosporus, his expression was quite remarkable,
"Hey, why did I miss so many historical moments!"